Picker check



c. G. MooN ETAL PICKER CHECK Filed Jan) 23. 195s INVENTOR. CLIFFORD G. Moon ALBERT ALM-'Eme BY ATTORNEY June' 18, 1957 PICKER CHECK Clifford G. Moon and Albert A. Laferte, Hopedale, Mass.,

assignors to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application January 23, .1956, Serial No. 560,619

4 Claims. (Cl, 139-165) This invention pertains to looms for weaving and more particularly, to a novel combination of means to check and to limit the movement of the picker stick incidental to its return after picking and upon entry of the shuttle into the shuttle box.

It is a general object of the invention to improve the picking and boxing of the shuttle in looms and to arrest the picker stick and shuttle with the latter in properly boxed position and without rebound.

A more specific object is .that of checking the stick and shuttle through the stick by a means which shall constitute a rebound deadening stop means rather than by a more or less rigid member as lhas heretofore been employed.

According to the conventional practice in weaving with y shuttle looms, the picker stick is checked in fits picking and return movements by a check strap of leather or fabric or of combination of thesewith -other materials, the same being provided for 'frictioning within a bracket of known type. The stick is returned part way to an extreme outer position by a spring means and then, when the shuttle reenters the box, it engages the picker and moves it and the stick to an extreme outer position. Theoretically, the absorption of energy by the various frictional inuences is intended to be such as to stop the parts with the stick in contactf with `an abutment which closes off a stick guiding slot in the lay end. There may be a thickness of leather to pad this abutment -to an extent, but to all intents and purposes, it amounts to a rigid stop which will cause 'the fst-ick to rebound if it reaches the abutment 'with any appreciable amount of residual energy in the shuttle.

According to the invention herein described at length in following paragraphs, there is no fixed or rigid abutment against which the stick strikes, but instead, the usual check strap is supplemented by a strap off flexible material which surrounds the first check strap and which has its ends anchored, but is also further provided with a friction means intermediate its ends. This supplemen* tary, fiexible member is of such length and so disposed that it acts as a means to limit the outward movement of the stick and, of course, the shuttle, so that the latter shall be arrested in that intended position it may best occupy when picked and at bobbin transfer. The supplementary strap member is frictioned to act as a retarding means in both directions and functions as a member to limit positively the extent of travel of the parts to outermost position.

The invention will be described in detail by reference to one specific embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of parts at one end of a loom to which the invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a section taken at line 2 2, Fig. l, but showing position of parts when the stick and shuttle have been picked.

Fig. 3 is a similar View, showing parts with the shuttle fully boxed.

ICC

Now referring to Fig. l, part of a loom is shown including a loomside 10, rook shaft 11 to which is clamped a sword 12 at the upper end of which is mounted in the usual way a lay beam 13. This lay beam has a lay end generally indicated by numeral 14 and slotted as at 15,

Fig. 2. Rock shaft 11 also has a parallel mechanism 16 clamped to its end and a picker stick 17 is supported in the parallel having the usual pi-cker 18 at it upper end by which a shuttle S is engaged.

Stick 17 is picked bythe usual cam and pick ball means (not shown) which function on the stick through shaft 19, arm 20 and lug connections 21.

As may be seen in the figures, a check strap 22 is mounted in a bracket 23 which has the usual depending fingers 24, and 26 duplicated at each side. The fingers 24 and 25 are relatively fixed while finger 26 is capable of adjustment. The adjustment is effected in the conventional way and by staggering the fingers to greater or lesser extent, the frictional effect on the strapv is likewise varied as required.

While the two sides of the lay end which extend lengthwise at either side of slot 15 might conceivably be left open, it is preferred for structural design reasons to tie these together by a ller piece 27 held in place by bolts 28. In lay ends as previously employed this would also v constitute an abutment against which the stickkwould always strike, or at least, against which it should strike and stop according to the intent or theory underlying previously used mechanisms. Here the member 27 is purely a structural one and it is so positioned that the stick should never strike against it. Practically from one-half to one inch of space is provided between the parts for clearance.

A second flexible .strap means is comprised of strap elements 29 and 30 connected as they are to surround or form fa loop about the first mentioned check strap 22. Strap member 29 is fixed at one end bya screw 31 to finger 26 at one side of the lay, then passes about the outer end of check strap 22 and through a frictioning means to anchor at its other end to a bracket 32 or to some other fixed part of the loom. The second strap 3f) is also attached or anchored `at the same finger 26 by screw 31 and then connects to strap 29 by abolt 33. The strap 30 is thus "considerably shorter than strap 29, but together they loop about the regular check strap and are tied to fixed members so as to be pulled first `in one direction and then the other as the stick is picked and returned.

The longer side of the strap 29 is frictioned as it passes outside of the opposite finger 26 and lalso of an extra finger 34 and inside of a movable finger 35, preferably adjustable in the manner in which fingers 26 are adjusted so that both straps 22 and 29 are provided for independent regulation.

The ends of the straps 29 and 3f) are slotted or otherwise provided for adjustment for the strap length and thus the position the stick and shuttle may occupy when boxed.

The parts 24, 25 and 26 are duplicated here since an endless check strap is shown, however, other straps may be used in which event ends thereof might also be anchored at one side and friction fingers provided at the opposite side only.

The straps may be of leather, fabric, compositions of rubberized fabric and the like. If desired, multiple straps may be used to check, but the stop strap is preferably a single unit, although it may be laminated or otherwise of multiple thickness. Preferably the two are to be of the same or similar material, but that is not essential.

Parallel 16 may take other form and the picking means may be of any known type.

In operation the stick is picked and the strap 22 acts to check motion, but is aided and further governed by the supplementary strap means. At the picking stroke,

Fig. 3, stick 17 strikes against check strap 22 pulling it inwardly through friction fingers 24, 25 and 26 and that strap in turn engages short strap 30 to pull thevlonger strap 29 through its friction fingers 26, 34 and 35. This arrests the stick on the inward motion Without resort to a bumper and also sets both straps for the return.

At return by the heel spring, etc., the stick moves to a point removed from its extreme outer position being checked by the strap 22 and perhaps being affected somewhat by the supplementary strap depending upon settings. The shuttle then returns to engage the picker and moves the parts to the position of Fig. 3 in which the inner strap has been extended and the outer strap is drawn tightly against its anchorages, The effect is such as to stop the parts very accurately without rebound as the stop means has a deadening effect rather than the sharp blow of a positive, rigid stop. The variation between full and empty bobbin conditions is measurably less, something which is of course very desirable.

The double check works well in wide looms run at high speed where the picking motion is an extremely vigorous one.

Only one side of the loom has been shown and described, but it is to be understood that parts are duplicated at each side and therefore a description of one serves for the other.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising a check strap and a check strap friction bracket mounted on the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, and means for supplementing the checking action of said checking means and for stopping the stick and shuttle in a predetermined, boxed position which comprises a second flexible strap member surrounding the first mentioned strap, and means for frictioning said second strap.

2. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising a check strap and a check strap friction bracket mounted on the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, and means for supplementing the checking action of said checking means and for stopping the stick and shuttle in a predetermined, boxed position which comprises a second flexible strap member surrounding the first mentioned strap, and means for frictioning said second strap and other means for anchoring ends of said second strap.

3. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel xed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising a check strap and a check strap friction bracket mounted on the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, and means for supplementing the checking action of said checking means and for stopping the stick and shuttle in a predetermined, boxed position which comprises a second exible strap means, means for anchoring the end thereof in such manner that said second strap surrounds the first, and friction means applied to said second strap to retard its checking action.

4. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising a check strap and a check strap friction bracket mounted on the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, `and means for supplementing the checking action of said checking means and for stopping the stick and shuttle in a predetermined, boxed position which comprises a second flexible checking member comprising a strap and means to anchor its ends, one at one side of said friction bracket and the other inwardly of the loom beyond the path of the stick, a second and shorter strap also anchored at the side of the friction bracket and connected to the first mentioned strap to form a loop, and means applied to the first strap intermediate its ends frictionally to retard its movement.

Boucher Nov. 24, 1908 Hamilton Oct. 1, 1946 

